A photo was posted on the Hunter Community early in the morning.
- A dungeon appeared right in front of my house’s gate.
The entrance of a blue spiral-shaped dungeon was clearly captured. After seeing it, others started uploading their own verification photos one by one.
- I was running early this morning and saw a dungeon near Cheonggyecheon as well.
- There’s one at the entrance of my company too.
- One even appeared on the highway.
- Wow, the highway… Isn’t that insanely dangerous?
- I reported it and the Association came right away. It should be gone now. Everyone report dungeons and get the rewards!
- The Association must be super busy.
- The increase in dungeon production is because of the 21st floor, right? But can Korea even handle that many 21st-floor dungeons?
- There are only a few new hunters rushing into the labyrinth now. That won’t be enough.
What started as a calm discussion in the early morning turned into a full-blown conversation by the time dawn came.
The number of people verifying dungeons also multiplied several times.
- Got a call from the guild this morning. They told me to hurry to work. The Association sent a cooperation official notice.
- Same here.
- Us too.
- They’re saying the tax on dungeon loot will be waived for a week. Our guildmaster’s eyes have gone wild. He’s ready to break every dungeon he sees.
- It’s Burning Time.
Because the supply of dungeons was so low, many hunters hadn’t been able to properly clear dungeons.
But with Dokkaebi becoming the owner of the 21st floor, that problem was solved.
A massive influx of dungeons was released across Korea.
All hunters started moving early in the morning to raid the dungeons.
As a result, the community was flooded with recruitment posts for dungeon raid parties, and the Exchange was overwhelmed with loot listings.
Thanks to that, the Association got extremely busy.
“President, the current number of discovered dungeons is 230. We’re still receiving additional reports, and 50 dungeons have been cleared so far.”
Lee Changgeon responded to his secretary’s report.
“That number will keep growing.”
At least 500 dungeons were expected to appear every day in Korea.
Having many dungeons was a good thing, but if they couldn’t be dealt with, dungeon breaks would occur somewhere, inevitably causing damage to ordinary citizens.
To minimize the damage, it was necessary to track the location of all dungeons and clear them as quickly as possible.
“I’ve already sent official notices to all domestic guilds.”
“Have the Association staff focus on dungeon tracking as much as possible. If any need to be dispatched, request cooperation from the Golden Tower.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, the secretary continued with the next report.
“The American Association informed us that Jessica boarded a plane at dawn and is expected to arrive around lunchtime.”
Jessica was one of the Twelve Constellations under America’s management.
The Witch of Fire Jessica.
An S-rank hunter skilled in fire magic, she was also known for her hot-tempered personality.
She once burned down a chaebol’s spoiled heir who was harassing her.
“I didn’t expect her to come personally.”
“I was surprised to hear the news as well.”
“This negotiation won’t be easy.”
“But we’re the ones in charge, aren’t we? No matter how fierce the Witch of Fire is, the 52nd-floor raid is urgent, so she won’t come at us too aggressively.”
That was true, but the Twelve Constellations were people beyond ordinary logic, so caution never hurt.
“Shall we head out then? It wouldn’t be proper to leave the Twelve Constellations from America waiting here.”
“I’ll have the car ready immediately.”
Lee Changgeon went down to the first floor with his secretary and got into the car.
It was a top-of-the-line sedan.
Inside the car was a display capable of video conferencing. Lee Changgeon straightened up and connected to the meeting.
There were Association presidents from countries that had contracts with Italy for dungeons.
Since the 21st floor was now under Korea’s control, the existing contracts with Italy were voided, and new contracts were made with Korea.
Italy was scrambling to resolve the enormous penalty fees, and the countries that had contracts with Italy gathered here to negotiate new dungeon agreements.
Lee Changgeon smiled slightly as he looked at them.
“There’s no time, so shall we get straight to the point?”
When he opened his eyes again, it was lunchtime.
Lately, I’d been so absorbed in popular dramas and variety shows that I finally went to bed in the early dawn.
“Haahh.”
Yawning, I got up from my seat.
I stretched and went to the bathroom, washed my face lightly, then put on a coat and headed to the grocery store.
Balak had been using ingredients a lot while practicing cooking, so he asked me to buy more because he had used everything up.
“Welcome.”
I pushed the cart, picking the same ingredients I had bought last time, but all in bulk this time.
So he could use them as much as he wanted.
“You’re buying all this?”
“Yes.”
“Are you opening a store or something?”
“Yeah.”
The shop assistant was quite surprised as I handed over my card. I quickly paid and arranged for home delivery.
On my way back, a burger shop caught my eye.
I suddenly wondered how delicious the hamburgers Balak made would be.
‘Maybe I should buy some.’
I went into the shop and ordered 100 hamburgers. Since it would take a little time, I took a seat in a corner.
While waiting, I resumed binge-watching the drama I had been watching yesterday.
“Sir, your hamburgers are ready.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I gathered the hamburgers delivered to me and headed home. The groceries arrived too, so I sent everything to the Dragon Lair.
[Transferring to Dragon Lair.]
Back in the Lair, I moved everything to the warehouse.
The minerals had disappeared, replaced by equipment.
[Intermediate Steel Sword (A)]
- A sword made by the Dwarf of Steel.
- It has high cutting power and well-balanced weight.
- It’s a bit heavy.
There were some pretty decent pieces, and some that were downright terrible.
If the beginning was this good, I was curious what kind of items would be made as time passed.
‘Ah, now that I think about it, maybe I should ask for a mask too.’
I’d been using a cheap Dokkaebi mask, but it was in pretty bad shape now.
It was time to get a new one.
The Dwarf of Steel would make a good mask, and with Anne’s help, I could get a decent enchantment on it too.
I’d ask the Elder about it.
“What’s that smell? Oh, it’s the Lord.”
“I bought groceries. This is a food called a hamburger. Try one.”
I handed Balak a bag containing the hamburgers.
“Hamburger?”
“It’s a food where meat, vegetables, and sauce are put between bread for easy eating. I thought it’d taste better if you made the patties with the beef here.”
“Oh, sounds fun. You should eat dinner too.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make it for you soon.”
Balak called over a goblin and took the groceries away.
I took a big bite of a hamburger in my hand and stepped through the portal.
I saw the village where the dwarves lived.
A huge furnace was burning, and the fire was transferred to a smaller furnace next to it.
Clang! Clang!
In front of the smaller furnace stood a dwarf of steel wielding a hammer.
Clang! Clang!
They melted minerals, hammered, shaped, and soaked the metal in oil.
The Elder carefully inspected each piece of equipment made this way.
“Because you’re not hammering properly, impurities mix in, causing cracks like this. Do it again.”
“Yes!”
“Forming the shape properly is important too. Who would wear such poor quality? Again.”
“Yes…”
“Good. Pure steel is nice, but mixing various minerals can produce better effects. This time, try combining minerals.”
“Yes, sir!”
I burned the empty hamburger wrapper and walked toward Elder Steelon.
“Elder.”
“My Lord, you’ve come.”
Steelon knelt down in respect.
“How’s the training going?”
“It’s good. Thanks to the minerals you gave, everyone can focus entirely on hammering, so their skills are improving quickly. But what brings you here?”
Ah.
“Could you make a mask like this?”
I showed him the Dokkaebi mask I usually wore. Steelon stood up and walked over to it.
He stroked his chin and looked at it for a while, then nodded.
“I will make it for you. Is this shape acceptable?”
“Yes.”
“It should take about two days.”
“Then I’ll come back then. If you need anything else, tell the orcs or goblins.”
“Understood.”
I returned to the Dragon Lair via portal and ate the breakfast Balak made while assigning new research at the Golden Tower.
[Apostle Tracking Magic Level 2]
[Potion Cultivation Time Reduction Level 3]
[Smithy Proficiency Speed Increase Level 2]
Since Apostle Tracking Magic increased its range with each level, I needed to keep upgrading it to enable proper tracking.
This was an ongoing research item.
‘Time to visit the labyrinth.’
It was time to work.
By the time I came back from the labyrinth, the Alliance Center would also be complete.
[Entering Labyrinth of Bahart.]
[Trial of the 23rd Floor completed.]
[Trial rewards: 30 Magic Stones (C)]
[Trial rewards: 5 Lightning Crystals (F)]
[A Hidden Piece obtained on this floor.]
[Obtained a Stage Challenge Ticket.]
[Using the challenge ticket allows you to challenge the owner of the stage.]
The Hidden Piece achievements kept piling up, and the rewards started getting better in earnest.
Now, not only Magic Stones but also Crystals could be obtained.
These were items needed to enhance attribute equipment.
Using them on gear enchanted with lightning attribute could increase stats.
After collecting the rewards and returning to the Dragon Lair, a message I’d been waiting for appeared.
[Alliance Center construction complete.]
I’d worried it might be built somewhere in Korea again, but thankfully, it was constructed inside the Dragon Lair.
There it was.
“Exactly the same.”
A tent made of golden fabric.
Even in the game, the Alliance Center was shaped like this tent.
I walked through the half-open flap and entered.
Inside was like a command tent you’d see in an army.
It seemed to be about 100 pyeong in size (approximately 330 square meters).
In the center was a long table with maps on it, and unknown items hung on the walls.
Just then, someone entered.
A middle-aged man wearing a golden uniform. Two horns protruded from his head, and a tail hung behind him.
“What’s your name?”
“Cheon Yongje.”
“Oh, you must be that rookie. I’m Baltimos, Commander-in-Chief. Nice to meet you.”
Baltimos extended his hand, and I shook it.
His grip was strong and commanding.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Let’s sit for a moment.”
I sat on a chair that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and looked at Baltimos.
“You look like you have many questions.”
“Yes.”
“There are many differences from what you’ve done before. First, our dimensional power is limited, so I’ll explain briefly.”
Baltimos snapped his fingers, and the map in the center unfolded into a three-dimensional projection.
“What we do is destroy the bases of the Seven Dragon Gods spread across all dimensions.”
“What do you gain from destroying those bases?”
“We prevent the Seven Dragon Gods from becoming true gods. If they become true gods, our revenge will end.”
“So, the goal is to kill the Seven Dragon Gods?”
“Exactly.”
With a gesture, Baltimos changed the map again.
A ranking-like scoreboard appeared.
My name wasn’t even visible.
“This mission is also a test to select the true Successor of the Lord.”
“True Successor?”
“One who inherits everything from the Lord, has the qualities to become a god like the Seven Dragon Gods, and thus possesses the power to kill them. That is the ultimate goal.”
Baltimos clapped once, and the map disappeared.
“If you’re content with the present, you should quit. You won’t dream of a comfortable life until you kill the remaining six Apostles.”
“…How do I receive missions?”
“You must meet the minimum requirements first. Come back when you have ten Guardians of S-rank or higher. I’ll give you missions then.”
Baltimos stood and gestured, and my view shifted.
My body was ejected outside the tent.
[You have exited the Alliance Center.]
I looked around the Dragon Lair, thinking hard.
Currently, I had a total of three Guardians at S-rank or higher.
If I raised Goblin, Orc, and Praira to S-rank, that would be three.
‘I need to find four more…’
It would be easy if I went into an S-rank dungeon, but finding an S-rank dungeon was not easy.
Just then, a conversation I had with Association President Lee Changgeon yesterday came to mind.
‘He said we’d be trading the enchantment business with the United States, right?’
What if I could get supplied with S-rank dungeons as the price?
“…I need to meet Yoo Seolha.”